Sated in Ink

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  And also a date with the three of them.

  Not just when he and Lincoln got together, or the first time he’d kissed Holland. They needed an actual time. He figured Mario Kart with lots of orgasms should count as date one.

  But, apparently, he wasn’t right.

  At least, according to Lincoln. And from how nervous Holland looked on her front porch, maybe according to her, as well. But even though she looked anxious, she looked sexy as hell.

  She had pulled her hair back and to the side a bit so it curled around her face on one side and did this complicated twisting thing on the other. Ethan had no idea how girls were so good at that kind of stuff, but he knew his sister could do an updo in like five minutes and look as if she had been at the salon for hours. Of course, her ex-girlfriend had been the one to teach her all that stuff, and now Bristol wanted to make sure that everybody in the family knew how to do it, as well.

  Ethan was inept, so even when his hair was long like Lincoln’s, he wasn’t able to actually do anything with it other than hopefully remember to brush it. He really sucked at the day-to-day things. Have him do work? He could totally do that. Have him organize what he needed to do to get things done for the day? He could probably get that done, too. Remember something important when he had other things on his mind?

  No, he wasn’t good at that.

  That’s why he really needed to settle on an actual day so he could put it in his calendar and hope it reminded him enough that he would remember.

  But, seriously, all of that flew from his mind as soon as he looked at Holland.

  She wore a black dress that went out in a cute little wave of some sort over her knees and hugged her breasts perfectly. She had on a coat, but the dress itself had sleeves that covered her shoulders, at least from what he could tell. Were those called cap sleeves? Bristol or Lincoln would know. Ethan? Not so much.

  Ethan had driven, but Lincoln was the one moving quicker, so he reached Holland first and took her hands, kissing her knuckles.

  Well, wasn’t that smooth? He hadn’t kissed Ethan’s knuckles. Ethan might have to try it on Lincoln one day just to make the other man blush.

  Holland did indeed blush, and then she giggled, something he hadn’t really heard her do before.

  “Look at you, acting like a knight in shining armor,” she said and then looked over at Ethan. “Hi there,” she said, a smile on her face.

  Ethan couldn’t help but smile back, and then he leaned down and kissed her cheek. He looked over at Lincoln, who rolled his eyes.

  “So not a competition, bro,” Lincoln said, and Ethan just grinned.

  “Not in the slightest. I don’t want to constantly do the same thing as you and feel like I’m messing up. Plus, I really don’t think I can pull off the whole knuckle kissing thing as well as you do.”

  “Well, I’m a fan of both. Even though this is super weird.” Holland winced. “Not that it’s strange to be with you guys, just going on a date with two people is weird. I never in my life thought I’d be doing this. And when this is over, I’ll look fondly upon it I’m sure. And it’s always fun to try something new.

  Ethan’s brows rose. “Well, if you want to try something new…” His voice trailed off as Lincoln punched him in the arm.

  “Hey, stop thinking dirty thoughts. We’re going out on a nice date, going to eat some pasta and then call it a night. Got it?”

  Holland and I looked at him, and he shrugged. “Okay, we’ll just eat some pasta, and then we’ll see what happens. But, no pressure. Just a fun night. We’ll figure out exactly how dating two people at once works.”

  “Oh, good. So I’m not the only one who has no idea what they’re doing?” Holland asked.

  Ethan turned and helped Holland into the passenger seat as Lincoln slid into the back.

  “No, you’re right, we have no idea what we’re doing either, other than making sure we always ask each other if we’re okay.”

  Holland looked at him and just smiled. “And that won’t get annoying?”

  “Oh, it’s going to get totally annoying if we keep asking over and over, but it’ll probably be worse if we try to read each other’s minds.” He quickly closed the door and ran around the front of the car so he could slide into the driver’s seat.

  Lincoln and Holland were already talking about what they planned to have for dinner, so Ethan started up the car and then pulled out of the driveway.

  “You know, I’ve never really liked gnocchi,” he said as he pulled up to a stop sign.

  “I only like it in some soups, but it’s not always my favorite thing. It’s probably because I haven’t had good gnocchi,” Holland said.

  “I think the only gnocchi Ethan’s ever had was from Olive Garden.” Lincoln grinned.

  “Hey, do not knock Olive Garden. Their breadsticks used to be amazing.”

  Holland frowned. “Their breadsticks aren’t amazing now?”

  “No, they changed them like a decade ago or something. I’m still a little resentful.”

  “Interesting.” She looked over her shoulder at Lincoln as Ethan turned to get onto the highway.

  “Well, he’s a little resentful about a lot of things that changed. Don’t even get him started on the McRib.”

  “The McRib is disgusting, and I have no idea why people line up for it.”

  “Because it’s fun to say that they like something that’s new and limited.” Lincoln leaned forward as he spoke, and Ethan could feel the heat of him at his side. This was going to be a hell of a long night.

  “Plus, some people like it. Just like I like gnocchi.”

  “You only like it because you were actually in Italy and had some little Italian grandmother make it right in front of you.”

  Holland twisted in her seat. Her eyes bright. “You’ve been to Italy?”

  Lincoln nodded. At least, that’s what Ethan could tell from the rearview mirror. It was kind of hard to drive and have a conversation with both of them, so he let them be.

  “I studied there for a bit. I jumped around Europe right after college and was grateful that I found friends from art school who were able to keep me on their couches so I didn’t go into complete debt.”

  “That sounds amazing,” Holland said, her voice a little breathy. “I’ve never actually been to Europe. But I’ve always wanted to go. The big cities and the ones that you can say are out of the way that the tourists go to now. I just want to visit. I mean, I also want to leave Boulder and go to some different places in the United States. Just travel. You know?”

  “We’ve done a few road trips around America, but I haven’t been out of the U.S. either,” Ethan said as he got off the highway.

  “I’ve been lucky in my job. I sometimes get to visit other artists or do art shows around the country and the world. But I’m more of a homebody than Ethan here.”

  “Really?” Holland asked.

  “Yep,” Ethan said as he pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant. “Even though it would seem like I’m more of the homebody, sometimes, I get on a tear and want to take a road trip while Lincoln only wants to hang out at home and be comfortable. But then, other times, we switch, and it works.”

  “It’s kind of nice that you guys have so much history between you. And now you’re taking it to the next level. I’m glad I’m here for it.”

  Ethan met Lincoln’s eyes through the rearview mirror, and he knew that there was worry in his gaze, as well.

  Did she think this was just temporary? That she was just a fling before they moved on? He sure as hell hoped not, so he was going to have to make sure that she understood that this was the three of them. Not just two. Three. And even if he had no idea what the fuck he was doing, he needed to figure out how to make sure she knew she was wanted.

  He knew Lincoln was good at that. Because all throughout their friendship, he had always known that Lincoln wanted him as a friend.

  He might not have been able to see that Lincoln wanted him as more before,
but he had likely been blind to that because he was scared. He understood that now, and he wasn’t afraid anymore.

  No, he was terrified. But that was a whole different matter.

  Lincoln got out of the car first to help Holland out of her seat, and Ethan made sure that the doors were locked behind them. The three of them had reservations at this little Italian place that he and Lincoln liked.

  Ethan knew that the owners were gay and had friends of all sexual orientations. It was a safe place for their first date. At least, he hoped so. For all he knew, he would end up screwing this up, and it would be awkward as hell.

  But they were going to try and make this work. After all, if his cousin could make it work down in Denver, they could try and make it work up here in Boulder. Boulder was weird, everybody was crunchy and did strange things. At least, that’s what people said. Having a threesome and a permanent ménage shouldn’t be weird.

  But if anyone said anything, he was prepared to fight.

  Not that he wanted to, but he would.

  And he knew Lincoln would, too. Just as long as Lincoln didn’t hurt his hands.

  Ethan didn’t want Lincoln to hurt himself. He didn’t want anyone to get hurt. Hopefully, everything would be fine, and he was just overreacting.

  “Montgomery, party of three,” Ethan said as they made their way to the hostess stand.

  The guy smiled at him and then looked at the three of them, gave them a nod, and then walked them to their table. “Right this way.”

  “You know, I’ve never been here,” Holland said. “I’ve driven by a lot, but Dustin didn’t eat carbs.”

  “Some people are gluten sensitive, and some people don’t like to eat a lot of carbs with their diet.” Ethan was trying not to hate the guy. Plus, he couldn’t really fault the man for not wanting to eat too many carbs.

  “No, he just refused. Didn’t even like to eat some fruit. And it wasn’t like he was dieting or anything. He just read somewhere once that carbs were the devil. Therefore, anyone who ate them must be evil. I should have seen it then. I used to hide my love of cupcakes. Not that I needed the sugar, because…hello, too much processed sugar isn’t good for you. But it’s okay to have a cupcake every once in a while. Or a whole plate of pasta if you want it.”

  “You can eat whatever you want. We promise we won’t judge.” He paused. “Okay. We might judge if you just eat like a side salad or something and then snack off our plates. Because that’s just wrong. You want pasta, you get it yourself.”

  Lincoln snorted as they took their seats in a corner booth. They placed Holland between them, and it was nice. The way the U-shaped benches worked, meant that they were all somewhat together and yet out of the way.

  Not that they were going to do anything in the restaurant, but a whole bunch of fantasies came to mind.

  Not on the first date. And not in a restaurant that he wanted to come back to.

  “Okay, now I’m starving,” Ethan said, looking over the menu.

  “You want to share a bottle of wine?” Lincoln asked, perusing the drink menu. “There’s a good bottle of pinot noir that I love here.”

  “Oh, that’s my favorite,” Holland said, looking over the menu with Lincoln.

  He liked the way they looked next to each other. And he couldn’t help but want to either move closer or take a step back, so it was just the two of them. That was a good sign, right? An indication that they were doing this right?

  There were so many potholes in the way, and he knew that if they weren’t careful, he’d fuck it up. But he was going to try. That’s all he could do.

  “I don’t mind sharing. I’ll only have half a glass, though since I’m driving.”

  “Are you sure? I can drive.”

  Ethan shook his head at Lincoln’s words. “No, you can drive next time.”

  “Or I can,” Holland said, and Ethan smiled.

  “You going to go on another date with us?”

  “Maybe. Or maybe just with you. Or Lincoln. We’re trying to figure this out, right?”

  “Right,” Lincoln said, staring at her with such intensity that even Ethan swallowed hard.

  They ordered their drinks, and then their food, starting with an antipasto and then each of them getting pasta and a salad. When it came to dessert, they gorged themselves on tiramisu, but it was worth it. Ethan was stuffed, happy, and had had probably the best date of his entire life. He just never thought he would have it with two people.

  Yes, sometimes, it was a little awkward, trying to figure out exactly what needed to be said, or making sure everybody’s needs were being met. They would work it out, though. It was no different than a date between two people. Figuring out what the other person needed or wanted or was thinking was a whole territory unto itself. Adding another person just complicated things. But they could and would form a plan.

  Ethan worked with math and complicated equations that contained way more than three. He could definitely find a solution.

  Or, Lincoln could, and Ethan would follow along. That was probably the better bet.

  “Where to next?” Lincoln asked casually from the back seat.

  They’d only shared a single bottle of wine, which meant that it was less than two glasses each, and so Ethan knew it wasn’t a buzz making Lincoln’s cheeks red. No, it was probably the high of just being together. The three of them. And that made Ethan hard.

  Damn it. He didn’t know if they were ready for this next step, even though they had pretty much already taken it.

  “Well…” Holland said, her voice trailing off.

  “Well?” Ethan asked, tapping his finger on the steering wheel. He hadn’t started the car, was afraid to do so. Would that pop this perfect bubble of theirs and ruin the moment? Or was he, once again, thinking too hard?

  “I’m still having a fun time. Why don’t we go back to my place for coffee?”

  Ethan looked at Holland, and he knew there wouldn’t be any coffee. Not the way she was staring at him and Lincoln. Not with the way her eyes had darkened, and her lips had parted.

  “You’re going to have to be a little more specific. Because I don’t want to think the wrong thing,” Ethan said, swallowing hard.

  “I think I want your mouth on me. And your hands. And if that’s too forward, then I’m sorry.”

  Lincoln crawled up a bit between the seats, cupped her face, and kissed her hard right on the mouth, sending a shocked moan through her—and Ethan.

  And then Lincoln turned and kissed Ethan right there, their tongues tangling, the taste of tiramisu and wine on his best friend’s tongue.

  “Hey there,” Ethan said, clearing his throat. “Well, I think we know what your answer is,” he said, laughing a bit.

  “My answer is whatever you want it to be. But, yes, let’s go to Holland’s place. See what happens.”

  “You say ‘see what happens,’ but I have a feeling that we’re going to get naked and sweaty. Just want to make sure that’s what everyone wants.”

  Holland laughed and then leaned forward. “If this never happens again, I know I’ll die happy.”

  Lincoln slid under Ethan just a bit as the other man pulled back and kissed Holland softly, a gentle caress of lips that was just as hot as the hard and powerful kiss Lincoln had given him earlier.

  “Okay, your place, Holland,” Ethan said, clearing his throat. “And then we’ll see what happens.”

  She looked at both him and Lincoln and swallowed hard before reaching out and gripping Ethan’s hand. Lincoln slid his hand over both of theirs, giving each a squeeze.

  “I feel like I should say ‘all for one and one for all’ or something, but let’s just see what happens,” Holland said, and they all laughed before Ethan quickly started the car and did his best not to speed his way to Holland’s house.

  Because he knew, just knew that there’d be no coffee. No talking.

  It’d just be them.

  And he—and his dick—couldn’t fucking wait.

&nb
sp; Chapter 11

  Holland could barely catch her breath, but maybe that was the whole point of this.

  She stood in her bedroom, still wearing her clothes, standing between two of the most handsome, generous, and wonderful men she had ever met. She was afraid if she pinched herself, she would wake up, and this dream would be over. Then she’d have to figure out exactly what she was going to do with her life. But for the moment, she could revel in this fantasy of hers. She could pretend it wasn’t real, that it was just the best her imagination could conjure. Because if she thought it was real, then it would likely fall apart.

  As Ethan had voiced, they hadn’t had coffee. She hadn’t even started the pot. Instead, they had kissed just slightly, only a little to start, and then had walked to her bedroom.

  Now, she stood between them, Ethan running his fingers gently down her arm while Lincoln did the same to her cheek. She sucked in a shuddering breath, afraid—so damn afraid—that all of this would end.

  She really didn’t want it to end.

  “You’re so beautiful,” Ethan whispered, kissing her throat.

  She leaned into Lincoln as Ethan stood behind her, keeping his hands on her arms as he massaged her. She couldn’t catch her breath, couldn’t even pretend that she wanted to. She didn’t want to lose this, any of this. Didn’t want to wake up and realize it was a dream, even though she wasn’t sure she wanted it to be real either.

  “Tell us when to stop, if you want us to stop,” Ethan whispered, gently biting down on her ear.

  Holland stood there, sandwiched between them, as Ethan kissed her neck and bit down on her ear again, while Lincoln slowly took off her clothes until she stood naked between them. Her nipples were hard pebbles pressed against Lincoln’s chest, her core was tight and already slick between her legs.

  If she weren’t careful, she would come right there without them even touching her where she ached.

  She was about to combust just by their voices alone. And even though she knew that couldn’t actually happen, this fantasy of hers told her there would be surprises. “I’ve never been with two men before, so while I want to say just keep going, I’m going to have to ask exactly what that entails.”